Has the City of Winder gone to the birds? No, but it may soon, as city fathers are considering adopting an ordinance that would allow residents to keep a limited number of hens — no roosters — within city limits, with certain health hazard, nuisance and space provisions applied.

Winder residents Nicola and Lisa Gleaton first brought the matter to the city council’s attention at the October, 2010 meeting, after they received a letter from the city stating they had 30 days to get rid of their flock of 12 hens and one rooster.

Current city ordinances prohibit keeping fowl.

“We were shocked,” Lisa said. “We had no clue we were even in city limits. The sign saying you’re entering Winder is about a half mile down the road…Nicola’s has had his chickens for two years without a problem.”

Gleaton said her neighbors, who also have yard chickens, received the same letter. The homes are located in a subdivision off City Pond Road; both are on fully fenced quarteracre lots.

“We both had roosters and we thought the problem was the noise,” Gleaton said. “So, we both gave away our roosters.”

When they received a second letter stating they would be cited if the chickens weren’t gone in 30 days, the Gleatons went before the city council to plead their case.

“Having chickens is no different than having a dog or cat or any kind of pet — especially if all you have is hens,” Gleaton said. “We hatched ours from eggs. Every one of them has a name. They actually run up to us when we go outside. They’re wonderful pets and we just love them. In the evenings when the weather’s nice we enjoy just sitting outside and watching them peck and play.”

Gleason said the council voted to table their request to change the city ordinance to allow a limited number of hens for 30 days. When they went back to the council in November, the matter was again tabled, this time for 60 days. When they went to the council meeting at the end of that 60 days, which was the January 4 meeting, council tabled their request for another 60 days. “We’re glad they’re considering it,” Gleaton said. “And, we appreciate being able to keep our hens while they do. It just gets frustrating — wondering what will happen next and how that will affect our hens.”

Winder City Administrator Don Toms said he has almost completed the first draft of an ordinance outlining how and where chickens could be kept within city limits. It is based on research he did on 60 cities that allow chickens, “mostly in Georgia, but a few in Florida and the West,” and how they drafted their codes.

Toms said once the first draft is done, he will give it to the mayor and council to review and revise. After that, it will go to the city attorney, and then be presented to the public. The final step will be to take the finalized ordinance to the council at a meeting and see what they decide.

He said the initial draft allows “a certain number of hens — no roosters” and takes into consideration lot size “to allow adequate space from the property line.” He declined to comment further, but did say “if you have a 50 by 50-foot lot, you probably wouldn’t get to have chickens.”

Councilman Sonny Morris, whose district the Gleatons live in, said he personally has no problem with allowing chickens, as long as it’s a limited number, hens only and there are nuisance issues or health hazards.

“I haven’t gotten any calls from the public against it,” he said, adding that he is reserving his final opinion until he reads the ordinance Toms is drafting and hears from the public.

Councilman David Maynard said he is “in favor of allowing residents to have chickens… The tough part is deciding on the conditions.”

“I have been asking people what their thoughts are on the subject, and so far all have been in favor of allowing chickens,” Maynard said. “One person said, ‘What’s the difference in someone having a big, barking dog or a crowing chicken? Does the dog’s poo smell any better than the chicken’s poo?”

Mayor Chip Thompson said, while he doesn’t think “a chicken in every yard” is a political slogan he’d use, he was open to the discussion and would be okay with what the public and the council decide.

Gleason said she hopes the council does adopt an ordinance that would allow her family to keep their hens.

“I want our (7-week-old) daughter to grow up with the experience of gathering eggs and having chickens as pets,” Gleason said.

I love my chickens. I got six chicks for Easter last year. They roam my property, they eat insects, they lay eggs, and they are entertaining to watch.

They all have different personalities; Fran loves to be held, Blondie is regal and stand-offish, Donna and Betty are two peas in a pod and they are the pack leaders, Cloud likes to hide her eggs, and Hawkeye loves to be rubbed like a cat - start at the head and go to the tail.

As far as the smell of the "poo", we're not talking a commercial hen house with hundreds of chickens. I clean my coop every couple of weeks and lay new bedding down. It makes for great fertilizer for my garden.

The way I see it, chickens are a win-win - free eggs, free fertilizer, fewer bugs (including ants) in the yard.

I truely understand the love of a pet and I understand Georgia's and Barrow County's past agricultural history, BUT, ---BUT If you live in the CITY, The more URBAN areas of the County, such as SUBDIVISIONS, there is an expectation to not see LIVESTOCK or LIVESTOCK PETS (Cows, Chickens, Goats, Pigs, Etc), These are Farm style animals and not the Standard Typical Pet for a SUBDIVISION HOMEOWNER to EXPECT Next Door.

There are other factors, like MY ABLITY TO SELL AND MOVE WHEN PROSPECTIVE BUYERS wont even consider MY HOME because of what they might be living next too. Home Values could be affected. I am Sorry but With THESE TYPE ANIMALS OR PETs, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING INTO A MORE FARM-LIKE OR RURAL OR LARGER LOT PROPERTY.

If you have 1-2 Acres or more, I would not have as much concern but on a smaller city lot, Subdivisions, close to other, I feel I could not support this based on how it would affect the community, your neighbors as a whole. Can You Understand This? I feel that many others will agree.

I think Animals considered as FOOD Production should be in a Farm-Like Location, Not in Neighborhood, you may need to decide if they Pets or Food Producers. I would never condone LAWS against you being able to Grow your own food, WHERE YOU DO IT NEEDS *SOME* REGULATION. We elect Officials to PROTECT out Interests TOO!!

I think you need to LIGHTEN UP. And, MAYBE, lay off so much use of CAPITALS to make your FASCIST points. SERIOUSLY, your love of NEIGHBORHOOD NAZI rules leads me to believe that FREEDOM is secondary to your narrow notions of UTOPIA.

Personally i believe that being able to have chickens and a garden is a right that should be guaranteed under the constitution...there should be NO LAW that makes it illegal for any man to survive and grow his own food.

i understand there are considerations to be made for loud obnoxious roosters and a 1/4 acre is a small lot but there should be nothing wrong with 4-10 hens.

Barrow County is deeply rooted in agriculture and that tradition should be encouraged. A mans castle is just that and the govt' has no business telling one what they can and cannot do within the confine of their own property as long as it doesnt hurt someone else or another living creature. Unless your the old man from a couple of months ago shooting squirrels, He went to the pokey for that.

I'm sorry but you must be new to Barrow. According the Barrow government, They are not accountable to any one. And will run off any one or business that offends their private politics. You may pay the mortgage but they will tell you what you can do or else, they will use the county tax dollars to have its lawyers run you off because that's how things are done in this county.

I have no problem with chickens. I like them fried, grilled, baked and stewed. I can promise you this - the first one of my neighbor's chickens that ends up on my property will be called dinner!!! Come on folks, city lots are too small to raise chickens, and, I know from experience, their droppings stink. If you want to raise chickens, buy a farm.

I don't know what type of poop that guy got a whiff of, but a couple of chickens are not even noticable.Sure if a person spreads chicken litter from a chicken house it does smell. That is thousands of chickens pooing in one house for months. But a couple of hens no way. And the benifits of consuming insects and the fertilizer on your yard is well worth it. Not to mention the eggs.

Isay Isay Isay bboy, wuhchew mean dat we caint have no chickens in da c-c I say city ? I say I say, now all Gods ch ch chilluns has de right to oh oh I say own some li li little ol hens,Dat boy needs I say needs to go back I say back up nowth as I say as soon as he cin.

Ben # 8.2 again how slow do I have to say it. As long as it doesnt hurt someone else. If you blare loud music in the middle of the night it disturbs public tranquility therfore robbing others of expectation of peace at certain hours. If folks would take a second to think before they make comments we could have a much more peaceful debate. Hence they are saying no roosters, they disturb the publics expected tranquility at certain hours. At the same token as with comment #1 I cannot believe we have those individuals wanting to use the police power of govt. to force rules upon what you can or cannot do with your property. Make it simple here you go city council "ANY PROPERTY OWNER WHO RESIDES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF WINDER MAY HAVE NO MORE THAN EIGHT CHICKENS TO WHICH NONE OF THE POULTRY MAY BE ROOSTERS. SAID OWNERS OF POULTRY IN THE CITY LIMITS MUST LIVE IN SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES KEEP AT ALL TIMES SAID ANIMALS CONTAINED AND HAVE A PRIVACY FENCE WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE AREA WHICH THE POULTRY IS KEPT AND MUST BE ATLEAST SIX FEET TALL AND CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD". That completes it, people with junk in there back yard brings down property values to. Atleast if they have chickens you can't see their junk anymore.

Might I suggest that some of you go back and read the article. The people who brought this issue up, according to the article, have a dozen (That's 12) hens. On a quarter acre lot. I don't think that's a few or a lot of space. And chicken manure stinks - a lot worse than most dogs - unless you are talking about a horse that barks. If the city fathers are serious about this, then they should require that anyone wanting to keep chickens be required to get a zoning variance - which will give the neighbors an opportunity to object. This is a bad idea. As far as I'm concerned, the smell of animal feces is as obnoxious as loud noise.

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